jkidphilly Blog

Chanukah in Doylesrtown: Then And Now

By Dawn Haaz, Parent Ambassador

Growing up Jewish in Doylestown in the ‘90’s (especially at Chanukah) wasn’t always easy. If there were one or two other Jewish students in my class, that was a big deal! Each year during our holiday party in elementary school, my mom brought in Chanukah gelt for the class in addition to mini Russell Stover Santa Clauses. She wanted to make sure our holiday was represented while not leaving out my peers who celebrated Christmas. Still, it was hard as a child to not feel different and left out. I still recall every year after winter break my music teacher asking the class to go around and say what holiday we celebrated and our favorite gift. Every year when I said I celebrated Chanukah the teacher would ask the same question, “Just Chanukah?” Then there was the boy in third grade who did not understand how I could not celebrate Christmas and tried to convince me how I was missing out. Despite these challenges, even at a young age, I was proud to be Jewish and accepting of just celebrating Chanukah. In 5th grade, I met my first close Jewish friend. She suggested we share the story of Chanukah with our class during the holiday party and organize some Chanukah games. This was the first time that Chanukah seemed to be equally represented in school, and it was also the first time I had a friend to share my heritage with.